Seagrass Meadows as a Foundational Concept for One Health

Unsworth, Richard; Comey, Iestyn; H, Benjamin L

doi:10.1093/biosci/biaf208

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Seagrass Meadows as a Foundational Concept for One Health

Richard Unsworth

, Iestyn Comey, Benjamin L H Jones

BioScience, Start page: biaf208

Swansea University Author: Richard Unsworth

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© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1093/biosci/biaf208

Abstract

Seagrass meadows are vital coastal ecosystems that embody the One Health paradigm, connecting human, animal, and environmental well-being. These highly productive habitats offer critical ecosystem services: They store carbon, stabilize shorelines, and filter pollutants and pathogens, bolstering clim...

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Published in:	BioScience
ISSN:	0006-3568 1525-3244
Published:	Oxford University Press (OUP) 2026
Online Access:	Check full text
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71191

first_indexed	2026-01-05T12:21:21Z
last_indexed	2026-01-30T04:30:45Z
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title	Seagrass Meadows as a Foundational Concept for One Health
spellingShingle	Seagrass Meadows as a Foundational Concept for One Health Richard Unsworth
title_short	Seagrass Meadows as a Foundational Concept for One Health
title_full	Seagrass Meadows as a Foundational Concept for One Health
title_fullStr	Seagrass Meadows as a Foundational Concept for One Health
title_full_unstemmed	Seagrass Meadows as a Foundational Concept for One Health
title_sort	Seagrass Meadows as a Foundational Concept for One Health
author_id_str_mv	b0f33acd13a3ab541cf2aaea27f4fc2f
author_id_fullname_str_mv	b0f33acd13a3ab541cf2aaea27f4fc2f_***_Richard Unsworth
author	Richard Unsworth
author2	Richard Unsworth Iestyn Comey Benjamin L H Jones
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description	Seagrass meadows are vital coastal ecosystems that embody the One Health paradigm, connecting human, animal, and environmental well-being. These highly productive habitats offer critical ecosystem services: They store carbon, stabilize shorelines, and filter pollutants and pathogens, bolstering climate resilience and water quality. As foundation species, seagrasses support diverse marine life and underpin global fisheries that provide nutrition, livelihoods, and cultural sustenance for coastal communities. Microbes enhance this function by actively reducing pathogens and detoxifying sediments, showcasing how microscale processes support broader societal health. However, anthropogenic pressures, especially nutrient pollution, are driving global decline. Case studies demonstrate that coordinated management and restoration can reverse this degradation and enhance ecosystem and social benefits. Integrating seagrass conservation into One Health frameworks highlights the need for proactive, multisectoral approaches. Protecting and restoring these meadows is a critical investment in resilient coastal communities, sustainable fisheries, and the overall health of human and planetary systems.
published_date	2026-01-08T05:34:40Z
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Seagrass Meadows as a Foundational Concept for One Health

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